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BayCare, the largest provider of pediatric and behavioral health services across West Central Florida, has once again joined forces with the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) to support endangered youth recovered during a human trafficking special operation.
The two-week “Operation Home for the Holidays,” conducted by the USMS encompassed 11 counties across four Florida cities – Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville and Ft. Myers – resulting in the recovery of 122 critically missing teens, 57 of whom were located in the Tampa Bay area.
Children recovered across Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties, were brought to a secure Recovery Hub managed by BayCare, where clinical staff specifically trained in trauma-informed care, provided medical and mental health care in a safe and consenting environment. Designed for comfort, the Hub was equipped with calming decorations, blankets, clean clothes and personal items as well as Polar, a two-year-old labrador retriever specifically trained to provide emotional support to children.
Polar’s visit was made possible by Hero to a Child, one of numerous local child advocacy and social service organizations that joined BayCare in support of Operation Home for the Holidays. Other groups included the Department of Children and Families, Pasco Kids First, Crisis Center of Tampa Bay, More Too Living, One More Child and the Suncoast Center.
“As a mother, it is heartbreaking to see the high need in our area for these types of operations,” said BayCare President and CEO Stephanie Conners. “However, as BayCare is the largest provider of children’s and behavioral health services in the region, we recognize our unique ability to support these missions and are motivated to do so. We pride ourselves on providing compassionate care and serving our communities. There is no greater example of that commitment than our work with the U.S. Marshals Service.”
This marks the third time that BayCare has supported a child trafficking special operation conducted by USMS. The first was “Operation Seminole Saber” in April 2024, then “Operation Dragon Eye” in June of this year. Now, as the health care system most experienced in supporting these missions, BayCare is lending its expertise to other hospital systems joining the effort.
“When we were first approached by the Marshals Service last year to assist with this extraordinary task, we had to think outside the box and develop a workflow that could be adapted quickly to what is a very fluid situation,” said Tracey Kaly, director of clinical operations for BayCare Behavioral Health. “Our incredibly dedicated team, across multiple departments, developed processes to provide the high-level of care required to meet the need. Now that our procedures have been stress tested and refined, we are honored to share what we have learned with others so that they can develop their own strategies to undertake this important work.”
“BayCare played a leading role in establishing the Recovery Hubs,” said Mario Price, deputy U.S. Marshal for the Middle District of Florida. “They led a multidisciplinary effort by not only providing space, but a lot of expertise, to make sure that our partner health care organizations were well established and had the confidence to successfully assist with the operation. It’s a testament to BayCare’s leadership.”
During the Nov. 17 press conference, held by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, Bill Berger with the U.S. Marshals Service noted that six arrests were made in the state of Florida – five in Tampa and one in Ft. Myers. Operations were also conducted across nine other states.
Read the Florida Attorney General release here.
Learn more: BayCare Behavioral Health
